Hagermann



April 17, 1956 H. HAGERMANN 2,741,928

DRIVE ARRANGEMENT FOR EXHAUST STEAM TURBINES Filed Sept. 26, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 1.

FIE. Z

INVENTORZ H 84mm g\ Hasgf mg n April 17, 1956 H- HAGERMANN Filed Sept. 26, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 .INVENTORI April 1956 H. HAGERMANN 2,741,928

DRIVE ARRANGEMENT FOR EXHAUST STEAM TURBINES Filed Sept. 26, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet I5 gear on the propeller shaft.

United SW8 Patent DRIVE ARRANGEMENT FOR EXHAUST STEAM TURBI NES Heinrich Hiigermann, Bremen, Germany, assignor to Aktien-Gesellschaft W eser, Bremen, Germany The present invention relates to a drive arrangement for low pressure turbines, and more particularly to an arrangement in which the propeller shaft of a vessel is simultaneously driven by a steam engine and :by a low pressure exhaust steam turbine.

In arrangements of this type thepropeller shaft is connected to the engine by suitable means, while two reducing gears are interposed between the-low pressure turbine and the propeller shaft. The low pressure turbine is mounted on a turbine shaft which carries a pinion. An intermediate shaft supports a spur gear 'meshing with the pinion on the turbine shaft, and also a second pinion meshing with a spur gear mounted on the-propeller shaft. Since the space available in ships is limited, it is highly advantageous to reduce the extension of the drive arrangement, and to build the entire arrangement very compact.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a drive arrangement for an exhaust steam turbine in which the required elements take up a minimum of space.

It is another object of the present inventionto arrange the turbine shaft, the intermediate shaft and the propeller shaft in such manner that the low pressure turbine can be arranged substantially in the same plane as the spur It is the main object of the present invention to arrange the intermediate shaft above the level of the propeller shaft so that the distance between the turbine housing and the gear housing enclosing the spur gear on the propeller shaft permits arrangement of supporting brackets on the gear housing .and of supporting lugs on the turbine housing for supporting the turbine housing on the gear housing.

. It is a further object of the present invention to support. one side of the turbine housing by brackets and lugs on the cover of the gear housing, and support the other side of the turbine housing on supporting brackets secured to the base plate of the gear housing.

With the above objects in view the present invention mainly consists in a drive arrangement comprising a gear housing having a horizontal base, gear shaft means adapted to be driven by an engine and to drive a propeller; a large spur gear mounted on said'gear shaft means in the gear housing, a pinion arranged in the gear housing meshing with the large spur gear, intermediate pinion shaft means supporting the pinion and being located above and spaced in horizontal and vertical directions from said gear shaft means extending parallel to the same;'a turbine housing located above and in substantially the same plane as said gear housing, supporting means supporting the turbine housing on the gear housing, turbine means arranged in the turbine housing, a turbine shaft means located above the gear shaft means and the pinion shaft in vertical and horizontal directions a greater distance than the intermediate pinion shaft means,and support: ing the turbine means turnable about an axis whichis parallel to the axes of pinion shaft means, and

means and spaced from the gear shaft means the gear shaft means and ofthe motion transmitting means such 2,741,928 Fatented Apr. 17, ,1 956 as a gear transmission including a fluid clutch means, interposed between the turbine shaft means and the pinion shaft means and operatively connecting the same.

'Thenovel features which are considered as character istic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: M

Fig. 1 is a side view of the arrangement accordingto the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view with the turbinehousing removed;

Fig.3 is a cross section on line 3- 3 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross section on line 4-4 in Fig. '2;

Fig. 5 isa front view, a part of which is shown in a longitudinal section; and

Fig. 6 is a schematic view of the arrangement according to the present invention.

Referring now to thedrawings, on a base plate 4 having a horizontal face 4', a gear housing 5 is supported. A propeller shaft orgear shaft 3 extends through the gear housing 5 and supports a large spur gear 6 fixed thereon. One end of the gear shaft 3 is connected by suitable means to the engine. 7, while the propeller shaft of the vessel may be driven from the other end of shaft 3. The large spur gear 6 mesheswith a pinion 8 which is secured to the intermediate pinion shaft 2. On the pinion shaft 2a further large spur gear 9 is rotatably supported which meshes with a further pinion 10 secured tothe shaft 1 of the low pressure turbine 11. A fluid clutch means 21 operatively connects spur gear 9 with shaft means 2. As bestseen in Fig. 5, the left half 21a of the fluid clutch means 21 is secured to the ring shaped spur gear 9. The right half 21b is connected to the pinion shaft 2. The turbine 11 drives shaft means 3 through the reducingtransmission means 10, 9,21 and the shaft 2 the reducing gear means 6, '8, as clearly shown in the schematic view of Fig. 6.

The bearings ofthe pinion shaft 2 are covered by members'12 and 12', while thepinion 8 is covered by a cover 13. A- cover mernber 14 covers the large spur gear 6.

The diameter of the large spur gear 6and the diameter of the lower portion 15 of the turbine housing 15 are predetermined features of the construction. According to the present invention the three shafts 1, 2, and 3 are arranged in such manner as to provide sufficient space 16 for supporting means between the lower portion 15 of the turbine housing and'the cover member 14 of the gear housing 5.

vIn the known arrangements the shafts 3 and 2 are arranged in a horizontal planeso that the members 15 and 14 are only spaced a very short distance. In order to make support of the turbine housing :15 on the cover member 14 possible, the intermediate pinion shaft 2 is arranged above e horizontal plane passing through the axis of the gear shaft 3. Thereby the pinion 10, which meshes with the spur gear 9,,is moved to a higher position, permitting locating of the turbine shaft 1 on a higher level so that the turbine housing 15 can be spaced from the gear housing 5, and from the cover member 14 respectively for a distance which is sufficiently great to permitlsecuring of first supporting lugs 17 to one side of the turbine housing portion 15', and securing of supporting brackets 18'to the cover member 14 of the gear housings. The other side of the turbine housing portion 15' is provided with second supporting lugs 19 which rest uponsupporting brackets 20 which are extending upwardly fromthe base plate 4 of the gear housing 5,

and form a part of the latter.

The arrangement of the shafts according to the present invention permits a very compact construction and assures a considerable saving of cost as compared with the known constructions in which the turbine housing and the gear housing are not located in the same plane. The,

raising of the intermediate pinion shaft 2 above the level of the gear and propeller shaft 3 permits support of the turbine housing on the portion 14 of the gear housing 5 extending around the large spur gear 6 onthe propeller shaft 2, and also easy access to the bolts securing covers 12, 12 of the bearings of the intermediate pinion shaft 2 and of the cover 13 of the pinion 10 for removal of the covers.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of drive arrangement for turbines differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a drive arrangement for a low pressure turbine including an intermediate pinion shaft located above the level of the gear shaft supporting a spur gear meshing with a pinion on the pinion shaft in order to provide sufficient space between the turbine housing and the gear housing for arranging supporting means for the turbine housing, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

' 1. A drive arrangement comprising, in combination, a gear housing having a horizontal bottom base face; a spur gear arranged in said gear housing; gear shaft means mounted in said gear housing supporting said spur gear turnable about a horizontal axis; a pinion arranged in said gear housing meshing with said spur gear; pinion shaft means mounted in said gear housing located above and spaced in horizontal and vertical directions from said gear shaft means and supporting said pinion turnable about a horizontal axis; a turbine housing located in substantially the same transverse plane as said gear housing; supporting means supporting said turbine housing on said gear housing; a turbine means arranged in said turbine housing; a turbine shaft means located above said shaft means spaced from the gear shaft means in vertical and horizontal directions greater distances than said pinion shaft means, and supporting said turbine means turnable about a horizontal axis; and motion-transmitting means interposed between said turbine shaft means and said pinion shaft means and operatively connecting the same.

2. A drive arrangement comprising, in combination, a gear housing having a bottom base face; a spur gear arranged in said gear housing; gear shaft means mounted in said gear housing supporting said spur gear turnable about a first axis extending parallel to said bottom base face; a pinion arranged in said gear housing meshing with said spur gear; pinion shaft means mounted in said gear housing located above and spaced from said gear shaft means in a first direction parallel to said base plate and normal to said first axis, and in a second direction normal to said base face and supporting said pinion turnable about a second axis extending parallel to the axis of said gear shaft means; a turbine housing located in substantially the same transverse plane as said gear housing; supporting means supporting said turbine housing on said gear housing; a turbine means arranged in said turbine housing; a turbine shaft means located spaced from the gear shaft means in said first and second directions greater distances than said pinion shaft means, and supporting said turbine means turnable about a third axis parallel to said first and second axes; and motiontransmitting means interposed between said turbine shaft means and said pinion shaft means and operatively connecting the same.

3. A drive arrangement comprising, in combination, a gear housing having a horizontal bottom base; a spur gear arranged in said gear housing; gear shaft means mounted in said gear housing supporting said spur gear turnable about a horizontal axis; a pinion arranged in said gear housing meshing with said spur gear; pinion shaft means mounted in said gear housing located above and spaced in horizontal and vertical directions from said gear shaft means and supporting said pinion turnable about a horizontal axis; a turbine housing located in substantially the same transverse plane as said gear housing; supporting brackets on said gear housing; supporting lugs downwardly projecting from said turbine housing and supported by said supporting brackets; a turbine means arranged in said turbine housing; a turbine shaft means located above said shaft means spaced from the gear shaft means in vertical and horizontal directions greater distances than said pinion shaft means, and supporting said turbine means turnable about a horizontal axis; and motion-transmitting means interposed between said turbine shaft means and said pinion shaft means and operatively connecting the same.

4. A drive arrangement comprising, in combination, a gear housing having a horizontal bottom base face; a spur gear arranged in said gear housing; a cover member supported by said gear housing and covering said spur gear; gear shaft means mounted in said gear housing supporting said spur gear turnable about a horizontal axis; a pinion arranged in said gear housing meshing with said spur gear; pinion shaft means mounted in said gear housing located above and spaced in horizontal and vertical directions from said gear shaft means and supporting said pinion turnable about a horizontal axis; a turbine housing located in substantially the same transverse plane as said gear housing; first supporting bracket means on said cover member, second supporting bracket means supported by said gear housing, said cover member and said second supporting brackets being located on opposite sides of said pinion shaft means; first supporting lug means secured to one side of said turbine gear housing and being supported by said first bracket means on said cover member; and second supporting lug means located on the other side of said turbine housing and being supported by said second bracket means on said gear housing; a turbine means arranged in said turbine housing; a turbine shaft means located above said shaft means spaced from the gear shaft means in vertical and horizontal directions greater distances than said pinion shaft means, and supporting said turbine means turnable about a horizontal axis; and gear transmission means interposed between said turbine shaft means and said pinion shaft means and operatively connecting the same.

5. A drive arrangement comprising, in combination, a gear housing having a horizontal bottom base face; a spur gear arranged in said gear housing; gear shaft means mounted in said gear housing supporting said spur gear turnable about a horizontal axis and adapted to be driven by a steam engine and to drive a ship propeller means; a pinion arranged in said gear housing meshing with said spur gear; pinion shaft means mounted in said gear housing located above and spaced in horizontal and vertical directions from said gear shaft means and supporting said pinion turnable about a horizontal axis; a turbine housing located in substantially the same transverse plane as said gear housing; supporting means supporting said turbine 5 housing on said gear housing; a turbine means arranged in said turbine housing, a turbine shaft means located above said shaft means spaced from the gear shaft means in vertical and horizontal directions greater distances than said pinion shaft means, and supporting said turbine means turnable about a horizontal axis; and motion-transmitting means interposed between said turbine shaft means and said pinion shaft means and operatively connecting the same. a

6. A drive arrangement comprising, in combination, a gear housing having a horizontal bottom base face; a spur gear arranged in said gear housing; a cover member supported by said gear housing and covering said spur gear; gear shaft means mounted in said gear housing sup porting said spur gear turnable about a horizontal axis and adapted to be driven by a steam engine and to drive a ship propeller means; a pinion arranged in said gear a housing meshing with said spur gear; pinion shaft means mounted in said gear housing located above and spaced in horizontal and vertical directions from said gear shaft means and supporting said pinion turnable about a horizontal axis; a turbine housing located in substantially the same transverse plane as said gear housing; first supporting bracket means on said cover member; second supporting bracket means supported by said gear housing, said cover member and said second supporting bracket means being located on opposite sides of said pinion shaft means; first supporting lug means secured to one side of said turbine gear housing and being supported by said first bracket means on said cover member; and second supporting lug means located on theother side of said turbine housing and being supported by said second bracket means on said gear housing; a turbine means arranged in said turbine housing; a turbine shaft means located above said shaft means spaced from the gear shaft means in vertical and horizontal directions greater distances than said pinion shaft means, and supporting said turbine means turnable about a horizontal axis; and gear transmission means interposed between said turbine shaft means and said pinion shaft means and operatively conmeeting the same.

No references cited. 

